Climbing structure



,March 25 y H924. 11,488,245

S. HINTON GLIMBING sTRcTURE Filed oct. 1, 1920 2 sheets-sheet 1 Mach l s. HINTON CLIMBING STRUCTURE 2 Sheets-Sheet' 2 Filed Oct. l, 1920 Patenten SEBASTIAN NTON, OF WITKA, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T JUNGLEGYE, INC., 0F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A. CORPORATION 0F ILLINCIS.

CLIMBING STRUCTURE.

Application led @ctober 1, 1920. Serial No. 414,031.

To all wtom t may conce/Mt:

Be it known that l, SEBASTIAN Hinton, a citizen of the United States, and a resldent of Winnetka, illinois, in the county e of Cook and State of illinois, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Climbing Structures, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to climb-mg apparatus, for children. lt is an object of the invention to provide fory playgrounds or the like, or for athletic establishments., 1n general, an apparatus wherein the manifest advants of climbing as an exercise can be freely utilized and made avallable, while the dangers incident to miscellaneous climbing, such as tree climbing or the like, can be minimized. v

in a co-pending application, Serlal. No. 398,178, filed lul 22, i920, patented Qctober 23, 1923,. o. 1,471,465, l have d1sclosed an illustrative climbing apparatus comprising a structure made up of outline cubes or in other words, a reticulated structure soproportioned and designed aS to permit climbing in any direction. The structure there shown was fabricated out of cut-to-length oppositely threaded pipe and has been employed with great success.

ln the drawings,which represent an illustrative embodiment of the invention;

Fig. l is an elevation of a climbing structure, made in accordance with the invention F1g. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of one corner thereof Fig. 3 is a broken out elevation, showin a compression member,

Fig. 4 is a perspective view, separated out, showing one of the central couplings and associated climbin elements,

Fig. 5 is a cross sectlonal view showing certain details of the coupling construction, and n Fig. 6 is a cross sectional view of one o to house a tie wire.

The structure as a whole is areticulated the climbing bars, showing a groove thereinl of vertical elements referred to generally by reference character l, and two series of horizontal elements referred to enerally by reference characters 2 and 3, gFig. 2,- the Series of elements 2 being preferably at right angles to series 3.

The structure is so designed that a boy,

for instance, of eight years old, may make a diagonal climb from one horizontal climbing element above in the next adjacent vertical plane; the climb being facilitated by grasping the horizontal climbing element above that to which the climb is made. In an illustrative form of the apparatus, which has been in actual use, the horizontal elementsk are spaced two feet apart, horizontally and vertically. l have found, however, that children seem to like to climb 'through the structure to some Iparticular point and there swing head downward by the knees, callin back and forth to each other, a trick w ich can be explained of course only by the monkey instinct.

The present illustrative Iform of the structure is designed to aH'ord greater opportunities for this, as well as to permit lateral progress throu h the structure, some what more easily an that possible with' the structure in which the cubes are two feet on la side. Thus, referring to Fig. 2, I make the horizontal bars 2 and 3, comprising the bars in each vertical plane, three feet apart, and I stagger these bars in adjacent parallel vertical planes so that the distance between parallel adjacent bars, in adjacent vertical planes will be a foot and one halfl in a vertical direction. rihus the vertical distance between the outside bar 3' and the bar 3, (Fig. 2) is one and one half feet and the distance between the bars 2 and the adjacent bars 2', (Fig. 2) will also be a foot and one half in a vertical direction, this relationship being preferably persisted in throughout the entire structure no matter what its size, and being varied only at the top and bottom where additional bars such as 22 are inserted to make the structure level.

In this form of apparatus, an eight year old boy, being approximately four feet high,

can easily duck throu h the three feet space between superposed orizontal bars, while at the saine time he can readily make the diagonal climb previously referred to. He can also comfortably swing by his knees from -any of the horizontal bars, withput hitting his head on the horizontal bar 1mmediately below.

In the structure herein disclosed, I make the horizontal distance, or length of the horizontal climbing elements 2 and 3, two feet. Thus the horizontal unit in the illustrative structure herein disclosed is two feet, the vertical unit is three feet, and the climbing unit, is a diagonal climb, 'on a diagonal whose base is two feet and whose vertical side is one and one half eet,in other words the climb between the lower element 3 (Fig. 2) and the next element 3 above it.

I shall now more specifically describe the structure shown in the drawings. For the verticals 1, I preferably employ throughout, oppositely threaded pipe sections. By examination of the structure shown in Fig. 2, (which will reveal that structure better than a description), it will be seen that' every alternate vertical support will be made in three foot lengths with couplings at. the top and bottom, as shown at 1, 1 in Fig. 2. The couplings used with the verticals 1, 1 will be six way couplings 4, in the interior of the structure, and four Way angle couplings on the corners as indicated at 4 and four way plain crosses at the top and bottom as indicated by 42, all couplings being oppositely threaded in the vertical run.

Of course six way couplings could be used throughout, if desired; that is in the place of the couplings 4 and 42 and all the surface couplings correspondingly modified, to permit additions to the structure after it is first erected.

The other series of vertical members will comprise pipe lengths 12 one and one half.

feet in length or rather of such a length that two thereof and the intervening coupling 5 will make up a length equal to thelength of the three foot couplings 1. With this series of verticals, the couplings will be plain crosses such as shown at 5, throughout the structure and other plain crosses or Ts such as shown at 5 on the surface, and four Way angle crosses, such as shown at 52 at the corners. Y

I will now describe the couplings employed. The outside couplings, i. e. those couplings upon the four vertical sides and the top of the structure, will be oppositely threaded in each run and theassociated horizontal bars 2, 22, and 3, Fig. 2, will be oppositely threaded steel pipe to correspond. Thus the entire outer wall or skin of the structure will be fabricated out of oppolslitely threaded pipe and couplings to mate The interior couplings such as 4, whether six way couplings, as there shown, or four way couplings 5, will be cast to correspond to the shape shown in Fig. 4, and oppositely threaded in the vertical run only as shown at These interior couplings are not desi ned to hold pipe, but wooden climbing ars, such as shown in Fig. 4, and are therefore cast to present at the endv of each run a socket 7, having a shoulder 8, against which bears' the end of t-he climbing element 2 or 3.

The socket 7 is formed with an extension 1() underlying the bottom of the climbing element, to give it substantial support against downward strains.

The climbing elements 9 are of peculiar conformation, more or less egg shaped in cross section, as shown in Fig. 4, and are preferably made of wood, as for instance of oiled hickory, which is strong, agreeable to climb, slightly resilient, and practically weatherproof.

They are made in the cross sectional form shown to produce several desirable results. First, and important: this' shape is easiei' to grasp. It also provides the maximum strength against the downward force of the weight of the climbing child with an economy of material, its horizontal dimension being lessthan its vertical dimension. It further provides a desirable resiliency, particularly against horizontal impacts. 1n other words, climbing bars of this character, particularly if made of wood, will yield enough if heavily bumped, considerably to relieve the shock. It will be understood that it will be practically impossible for a child to fall head-on and vertically on one of the climbing bars 3. He can, however, if he falls, hook by his knees or toes on one climbing bar, so that his head swings in. an arc up against another of the climbing bars. If this happens, and the childs head strikes the bar (in a more or less horizontal direction), the bar will fiex enough to relieve the shock and avoid the injury, which might conceivably result if a piece of steel pipe were in its place.

Furthermore, by some sort of a suitable bending apparatus more powerful than the strength of the child, a bar of the shape shown in Fig. 4 can be bowed or iiexed in a plane of its narrow cross sectional dimension and snapped into place in the structure lll in lieu of one which has splintered, broken,

or which for any other reason it is desirable to replace.

The assembly of a construction of the type shown will be exceedingly simple. Thus, for instance, two adjacent outer walls can be erected of oppositely threaded pipe. After this the roof or ceiling may be put on. The verticals may be put together on the ground and suspended in the ceiling,

Vmesses remaining sides can be put on, of oppositely from all sides.

threaded pipe. After this by going over the outer -la er, or skin of the structure, comprising t e four walls and the top, with a pipe wrench this skin can be shrunk to put the interior under very heavy come.

pression. The compression so produced will cause the climbing bars 3 and 2 to abut so firmly against the shoulders 8, in their sockets, that the can never be pulled out by a child, and they will brace the verticale However, if it be found to be desirable to d add additional ties toward the center of each vertical wall this may be done in the manner shown in Fig. 3, wherein a hea tie wire 11 is employed, which is housed in a groove shown at 12 in the bottom of the climbing members 3 and 2, this tie wire p assing entirely through all of the vertical pipes and couplings and being tightened at the end by turn buckles or nuts, such as shown at 13. As many of these ties can be placed across the structure -as desired, though it is not believed that any will be necessary, exce t possibly in a very large structure. A er the structure has been thus tightened up, the holesV in which the verticale rest can be filled with concrete. Of course other methods of erection may be employed.

I make considerable point of the great strength of thel structure, as this is important. Thus most persons havel seen a monkey in a zoo, seize the bars of his cage with hands and feet and throw his body violently back and forth, other monkeys following suit. Children, in the structure I have erected, do the same thing, apparently unconscious of any imitation of monkeys. It can be appreciated that with twenty-five or thirty heavy boys doing this, the strain on the structure is very great. In the structure herein disclosed the walls and top are extremely strong, being made of oppositely threaded fabricated pipe turned up tight. The verticale are of pipe rigidly secured at their to s in the to or ceiling of the structure an many of t em sunk in concrete at their base. All of them are braced either ever three feet or every foot and a half by clim ing elements 2, 3, which impinge against the verticals or four sides under heavy pressure. The structure is then made strong enough to stand severe strains which for safet s sake is extremely desirable.

Crosse ropes 14 can be employed at the bottom of the structure, and as much as desired upward from, say, about the level of structure.

six feet, including the top, can be covered with ordinary fence wire, if desired, to prevent children falling off the outside of the structure. This has been omitted from the drawings as it would confuse them. It is not believed that either of these precautions will be necessary, .as a child falling in the structure will have so many opportunities to catch a bar or vertical thatit is almost impossible that he will fall .through it to the ground.

The structure herein shown is extremely \eiiicient for supervised athletic work. Thus classes of children can be put into one of these structures and made jto take almost any conceivable exercise. The structure is compact and can be employed on the most limited playground. In orderurther to improve the eiiciency with a class of chilren, I have used on the level of three and six feet above the ground, an alternately spaced five way coupling, instead of four, or six way instead of five on the outside of the In theV extra threaded socket thus provided, the bars 15 are tightly screwed, and are connected b a rail 16, shown inv cross section. Addltional diagonal braces may of course be employed to support this bar 15. These bars form chinning bars on which an entire class of children can take chinning exercises as a part of various tests or exercises customarily used in supervised athletic work. It has been a problem in this field heretofore, to find adequate means whereby a largenumber of children can all chin themselves at once in competition.

Having now described my invention, I claim:

1. A. reticulated climbing structure for children, comprising supports, having sockets therein, wooden climbing bars extending in a plurality of directions and spaced and arranged to permit climbing from one to another vin a plurality of selective dimensions from points within the structure, said bars fitting at their ends in said sockets, and means for preventing said bars from being withdrawn from the sockets.

2. In apparatus of the. class described, a plurality of vertical supports, a plurality of wooden climbing bars, arranged at right angles and so spaced as to permit elective climbing in a plurality of dimensions through the structu-re, sockets in the vertical supports, the ends of said bars being enica lll@

rae

gaged in said sockets, and means to prevent I llittl ice nected by slip joints, whereby the inner body can be put mto compression by tightening up the pipe.

4. In apparatus of the class described a 5 plurality of vertical supports, climbing e ements connected to said supports, all so arranged as to permit climbing electively in three dimensions from points Within the apparams, the climbing elements resting upon and supported b trough shaped extensions l0 from the vertiea supports.

In witness whereof, I hereunto-subscribe illjyoname this'422 day of September, A. I).

' SEBASTIAN HINTON. 

